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Old 01-29-2023, 08:37 AM   #1
wegone
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Outside rugs......

In the market to get a better rug to cover the area outside the trailer.
Presently have an old area rug that honestly is ready for the landfill.
It's some type of cloth, that gets wet and heavy and a real PITA to use.
I see they have some sort of newfangled plastic rugs; anybody have one and how do they perform?
I have a much bigger awning area now, 19 feet by 10, so I want to cover that area anyway.

What all do you guys use?
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Old 01-29-2023, 08:44 AM   #2
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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...1?ie=UTF8&th=1


Comes in different colors and sizes, maybe not big enough for you. Not sure. Seems to be ok, not sure about how long it will last, haven't had it long. Dries good. About all I can say. LOL.
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Old 01-29-2023, 08:46 AM   #3
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I have a length of red astroturf, bought it in 1989 when I got my first fiver. IIRC its 23' long and 8 or 10' wide.
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Old 01-29-2023, 08:58 AM   #4
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I've been using these for about 10 years.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0083LIKU0..._dp_it_im&th=1
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Old 01-29-2023, 09:13 AM   #5
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Originally Posted by foldbak View Post
I've been using these for about 10 years.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0083LIKU0..._dp_it_im&th=1

These or one of these?
10 years seems awesome!
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Old 01-29-2023, 09:19 AM   #6
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Originally Posted by Island Eddie View Post
These or one of these?
10 years seems awesome!
I just tossed my first. It was purchased about 10 years ago. It was still in one piece but starting to ozone.
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Old 01-29-2023, 09:19 AM   #7
wegone
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I just tossed my first. It was purchased about 10 years ago. It was still in one piece but starting to ozone.
PERFECT, thank you!
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Old 01-29-2023, 09:22 AM   #8
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We've used different things over the years. Used to use old astroturf but that stuff gets nasty with sand/dirt. We currently use a woven plastic mat that breathes. Breathability and letting a little bit of sunlight through is critical to keeping the grass alive if you stay for very long. We stay for various lengths of time when we camp; overnite we don't worry about it as we have entry step rugs etc. Longer stays we deploy the ground mats. We carry 2; one is about 10x12 and the other is about maybe 5x10? You need to be aware that some locations will not let you put out a mat and some object to huge mats - that's why we have 2. That's why we carry 2 for the front. I carry 4 5x7 mats for doing projects, going places etc. You can get them online, Walmart carrys them as well as CW.
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Old 01-29-2023, 10:09 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by chuckster57 View Post
I have a length of red astroturf, bought it in 1989 when I got my first fiver. IIRC its 23' long and 8 or 10' wide.
Are you the guy driving that truck with the rolled up red thing hanging out the back about 12-13'? Do you tie a red rag around it to make transport lawful? How the heck do you store a 23x10' chunk of imitation grass and how much does that thing weigh?
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Old 01-29-2023, 11:11 AM   #10
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I got mine from Walmart. Works well for me.
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Old 01-29-2023, 12:02 PM   #11
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Is it heavy enough to stay down in the wind or do you need those stakes they offer with them as well?
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Old 01-29-2023, 12:42 PM   #12
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Wall Mart sells RV patio mats that are the same types sold at any RV dealership parts store and they are a lot cheaper, and the same stuff they are made from.

They are a vinyl fabric that resembles a straw mat. They are very durable and do not hold water.

Click here

We had 3 of these (from Wall Mart) for over 10 years. When we got our Montana High Country with a rear door on the opposite side, I cut one up into 3rds to make runners that would work on the opposite side of the trailer. The other 2 worked great on the front side. Placing them together afforded a lot of latitude in how they needed to be arranged. Often times, we'd use one at the door steps and the other one under our quick shade. Or if the sun was shining in uncomfortable angles, we could position the quick shades against the awning, move the mats and have the entire shaded area still on the mats.

This last fall, right before Wall Mart put up most of their seasonal camping equipment, we snatched up 2 new ones (the brown ones in the link above). I didn't have the heart to toss out the old ones. I gave one of the old ones away, and still have the one cut in 1/3rds and one of the blue old ones, and the 2 new brown. I just don't have the heart to throw out the old ones. They still have good life left in them.

To clean them, especially when they are on top of wet mud, is to simply wait for the dew in the morning to hit the grass. Simply grab a corner and walk them over the dewy grass, dragging them. When you reach the end of your walk area, grab the opposite corner, let the rug fold over itself and then simply walk around and the let grass clean off the other side. This works very, very, very well. No need to sweep or use a leave blower, or anything like that. The dewy grass washes off any mud, flipping them over removes any dirt, leaves, or loose stuff on the top side. They are strong, endure, and still look stylish ... even after 10 years of constant use!

An odd campsite where we used one of the 1/3 cuts as a runner, you can see the full one farther down:



One of the new brown ones we used, only by itself. No need to have a bigger one, or put out the second one at this site. In this case, the single one by itself worked out just fine:



This was a photo taken at home. The normal door side is too close to the bushes to put the mat out. But it worked wonderful under the fifth wheel over hang and under the quick shade. A bigger mat would have been TOO big.



Here's a set-up we did at a campground that discouraged placing mats on the grass. No one complained about us doing it this way. This was one of the new brown ones. We actually left part of it folded up to make it smaller.



Here's one where we had an old one out (blue) and the new one (brown). We actually left a space between the two. The configuration of the site just called for leaving a gap between them.



Here's one where we used the mats on the back side of the camper, but not at the steps. Yea, we had our grandson with us and the blow up swimming pool. This worked really great! The mats were priceless for this arrangement:




Here's one where both mats were separate. Also, here's a photo of our picnic table shade. (that's another whole topic by itself. Combined with the awning, the picnic table shade and the ability to separate the mats, we had a very comfortable arrangement.





Sometimes there is a need for NO mat. This is the opposite side of the camper:



The 1/3rd runners on the opposite side:



Another time we used both the old and new together as one ground covering.



Bottom line:
1) Wall Mart ... really cheap prices compared to other sources
2) Good, durable, and long lasting mats that will last you 10 or many more years of constant use
3) Easy to clean, dry, fold, and stow away (very easy)
4) Not heavy at all.
5) Bigger is not necessarily better, 2 smaller ones you can put side-by-side give you more variety how to arrange them. Plus smaller is easier to clean and stow away.

Well,.... that's my suggestion.
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Old 01-31-2023, 04:10 AM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Island Eddie View Post
Is it heavy enough to stay down in the wind or do you need those stakes they offer with them as well?

Ours is from Walmart as well. Going on 4 years. As mentioned super easy to clean off and dry before packing up. I have never used stakes but I do place our chairs and outdoor table on it. Normally I use the shop blower to get sand and dirt off, then flip it over and place it on the picnic table to dry out while I'm packing up the rest of the exterior. No complaints
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Old 01-31-2023, 07:10 AM   #14
sourdough
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Is it heavy enough to stay down in the wind or do you need those stakes they offer with them as well?
For us it depends on the situation. If the layout includes a table/chairs etc. sitting on one of them we won't stake it. If not (which is most of the time), we use the stakes on the corners. Depending on the soil the little silver, lightweight hook looking stakes may or may not work. In hard/rocky soil they won't work, in sandy beach soil they pull out but in clay or something like that they're OK. We also carry HD tent stakes that look like 120 penny? nails with the orange hook on top in most situations.
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Old 01-31-2023, 08:53 AM   #15
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About 25 years ago, I tired of buying "tent stakes" for outdoor rugs or mats. They ALWAYS seem to either not hold or the plastic "hook" at the top breaks from my terrible ability to miss the stake with my hammer.

So, I bought six 12" galvanized nails at Lowe's and slipped a 1.5" galvanized fender washer (also from Lowe's) on them to act as a hook. So far, after 20+ years, I'm still using those original "tent stake nails" and they're as serviceable today as they were back when I was using them on our 1993 Holiday Rambler. The "nice features" that drew me to this solution are the "totally indestructable nature of galvanized nails" and the fact that the washers "fall to the mat" when I start to drive them into the ground, avoiding any (or most) risk of hitting the "hook part of the stake". That doesn't improve my "hammer aim" but it does seem to protect the stakes from my inability to use a hammer......

We don't stake down our plastic tube woven mat unless we will be on the site for a prolonged time, and I use 5 or 6 stakes, each corner and the middle of the outside edge if the ground slopes to allow wind under the mat.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Fas-n-Tite-...ike/5001418293

These washers are similar to what I use, but mine were much cheaper. I'd suspect Lowe's or any hardware store would have washers for much less than this price.


https://www.lowes.com/pd/Hillman-2-C...hers/999996026
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